How to go about calories and SLEEPLESSNESS

(Sarah) #1

Quick background:

Since June 1 I was doing a pseudo Whole30. I’ve done it before, so this round was really just to cut out the food groups not allowed on Whole30 and not stress about every little ingredient (for example, a tiny bit of sugar in a smoked ham).
I felt terrible and wasn’t sleeping for most of the 30 days (had been sleeping ok before). I tried upping complex carbs for a couple weeks and not change.
Overall, gaining weight though slowly.

Enter keto diet:
I decided to try the opposite-count carbs (and macros in general)!!
Felt great last week and lost water weight. But sleeplessness has changed. Now, I don’t have to pee in the middle of the night (yay!) but I do feel that I’m hovering between sleep and awake much more.

I know this should hopefully change in a week or two, but I’m so tired!!

I wonder if I’m getting enough calories? I’ve been slightly hungry the last two mornings. Did kind of goof on Fourth of July at neighbor’s picnic (but slept great that night!?)

My BMR is about 1100-1200 and I’ve been good about eating about 1200 a day. I’ve burned about 1600-1800 calories some days with daily life and some light exercising here and there.

And my sleep has been even more terrible the last two days. Energy is still better, but I NEED sleep.
Are my calories affecting my sleep and should I be looking at how I’m counting them differently?
Also, I have been in ketosis (according to sticks) for about 4-5 days even with 4th of July.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #2

Welcome to the forums!

Eat to satisfy your hunger. The first few weeks on a ketogenic diet are a period of adaptation, so give yourself some time. Try not to view this as a quick weight-loss scheme, but as a permanent alteration in eating habits. The best way to be sure you’re getting the right amount of food is to eat when hungry, and stop eating when no longer hungry, then don’t eat again until you’re hungry again. At first this will probably be a lot of food, but as your insulin drops and your body sorts things out, your appetite will drop and will become a reliable guide to how much food your body needs.

I should probably mention that many women experience a period of hormonal re-regulation before they start seeing the results they were hoping for. So if you don’t appear to be making progress, just give yourself plenty of time.

#3

I would try eating more. Are you sure your BMR is about 1100-1200? It can’t be calculated so if it’s from a calculator, don’t trust it.
If you are new to keto, just get used to it and don’t worry about calories, eat more if you want more… Even later, eat when hungry and if it doesn’t work, change something but don’t stay hungry.

Why hunger in the morning is a problem? Don’t you eat breakfast? Many people wake up hungry, it’s normal. Eat then.

If you use up 1600-1800 kcal (and possibly more, who knows?), I can imagine 1200 is little for you. I know for a fact that when I used 2000 kcal and was a newbie at keto, my body wanted 2000 kcal and I was super hungry without that. So I got used to keto and get fat adapted while losing no fat. When I could go down to 1300 later, it still never worked. It’s too little for me, it messed everything up. But I am fine a bit higher if I chose my food well. Not everyone can eat at a decent calorie deficit without problems. Not even if they feel no hunger for days. It still can backfire.
So figure out where you feel right. Eat as much as you need if you can.

(Sarah) #4

Thanks, Paul! I haven’t been restricting calories so much. I haven’t been hungry much other than the last two mornings upon waking. The time or two before that, I’ve eaten within my carb limit.

(Sarah) #5

Thanks for the feedback, Shinita!
I am a short gal so that does have something do do with a lower BMR, I believe.
I’ve eaten when hungry or to fullness pretty much all of the time.
First thing in the morning, I do some water with salt, etc. and then coffee with oil, collegen and dairy free creamer and bacon if the hubby has made some. :grin:
I’ve never been a big breakfast eater (I know…) but the amped up coffee really seems to do me well.
The hunger the last couple mornings wasn’t major, and the coffee seemed to help.
I even tried some chia pudding I’d made yesterday and just didn’t want to eat.

I’m sure my hormones need readjusting…

The 1600-1800 have been higher ends for me. I’m trying to be more active. I used to run but dealt with mold issues and so have had fatigue, pain, and other issues.

(Sarah) #6

Something to keep in mind too, is that I had cut out a lot of carbs the 4 weeks prior to this. I also upped my fat too, but wasn’t counting carbs. I was eating a ton of low carb veggies though for every meal.

I will try to eat more calories, give this more time and RELAX… :smile:

In the meantime, any tips for sleeping (I’ve read plenty of blogs, but love personal advice), please help out!

#7

Being a short gal doesn’t mean your BMR is that low. I am 5’4" and my BMR is surely way above 1200 kcal and it was much more when I was fatter. I don’t know how much you need to lose but the individual factor matters a lot anyway, one person may have much quicker metabolism than another with the same stats.
I would eat food when hungry, the coffee with some fat may be too effective to curb your hunger while you may need more calories. Or more protein or other nutrients…?

#8

Welcome to the forum, and so sorry to hear you’re not sleeping well. From my own experience, absolutely everything feels more difficult and unpleasant when you’re sleep deprived… just gets harder to do the basics (grocery shop, meal prep, staying active).

My suggestion comes with the caveat that it is not especially keto-friendly for most, depending on where your personal carb tolerance lies.

But I have found great relief for sleeplessness in the protocol described in ‘Potatoes not Prozac’, where you eat a small baked potato in the evenings, around 3 hours after a substantial fat/protein dinner. If you’re reasonably metabolically healthy, and keep your carbs low enough during the day, that you can splurge 10 carbs on a tiny tater, it could be worth trying out. My potato is about an inch in diameter and I have it with a big dob of butter. It’s better than dessert!

Something to do with the serotonin hit right before bedtime, I believe. I’ve never slept so soundly and deeply. YMMV.

(Sarah) #9

I have noticed on the days I eat most of my carbs in the evening, that I sleep better!

(Sarah) #10

I’m not sure how one knows exactly what their BMR is, but I’m going off of several different calculators. I do believe stature has something to do with it but also frame size and amount of fat.
I’m not majorly overweight, but have lost a lot of muscle tone and gained a lot of fat since struggling with likely mold toxicity and subsequent hormone issues. I really would like to get rid of the obvious extra fat I’m carrying and build muscle back, so weight numbers aren’t the end of the world if I feel fit and healthy.

I should clarify the “good about 1200” calories. I do not want to go under 1200 but I don’t want to go way above either. I haven’t been hungry much when calories come in around 1200. I’m not trying to curb too much and don’t feel like I’ve gone hungry to go without calories. Some days have been higher and sometimes I’ve been hungry and have a fat snack.

I really am not into eating first thing when I get up. Any other thoughts on whether coffee with coconut oil, collagen and dairy free milk is hurting more than helping? I’m still eating something an hour or two later.

I’m finding that when my carb heavier meals are in the evening I asleep better-they also tend to be my higher calorie meals. So, does it hurt to do a smaller breakfast, decent lunch and bigger dinner really hurt?

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #11

Appetite is a good guide, once insulin drops. One study I read showed that, while energy intake may not be all that close to expenditure on any given day, over a seven- or eight-day period, the match is startlingly accurate. It makes sense that a system that has spent the past 2,000,000 years adapting to all sorts of conditions might be better at figuring this out than an Internet app developed on the basis of necessarily incomplete knowledge of how our bodies work.

(Sarah) #12

So, judging by my appetite and intake around 1200 without stressing about calories is saying that is closer to my BMR?

I guess I’m more concerned about eating too low and hurting my already sluggish metabolism.

(Agata) #13

Thanks, Camellia, I have been struggling with sleep tremendously in my carnivore attempts, and a slice of sour dough bread always helps… however, I am not so happy to consume gluten, even fermented, any more. I am trying your potato solution, today!!!